Good intros

randella

I'm a sucker for an intro riff - Motorhead have to rank as one of the best in this regard. A short, sharp slap before the band joins in - Life's a Bitch is one I've liked lately. My all time favourite is Shoot You in the Back from the Ace of Spades album. No pissing about. 

As for stuff that non-guitarists recognise? Where's the fun in that?

viz

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

https://youtu.be/SCm9O2KNEX4

randella

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

https://youtu.be/SCm9O2KNEX4

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

viz

randella said:

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

https://youtu.be/SCm9O2KNEX4

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

Standing on the shoulders of giants

randella

viz said:

randella said:

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

https://youtu.be/SCm9O2KNEX4

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Hahaha, he'd probably need to as well. Bless him, height was not something the Young brothers had in spades.

viz

randella said:

viz said:

randella said:

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

https://youtu.be/SCm9O2KNEX4

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Hahaha, he'd probably need to as well. Bless him, height was not something the Young brothers had in spades.

Whereas Rachmaninov was 6 foot 6” and could play a 13th on the piano 

https://i.imgur.com/OHFX4AP.jpg

EricTheWeary

Some stompy ones that I think fulfil the criteria in the OP. Again, simple and direct. 

https://youtu.be/wqeeJM9pXEc

https://youtu.be/onJQ1dpsAF8

https://youtu.be/hrWbSDsFTYo

Right, I need to go and make a cup of tea now. 

ICBM

Redlester said:

The most recognisable and musically influential riff in die ganze geschichte der musik ist Beethoven’s fifth symphony. 

Yeah, but... Smoke On The Water contains a flat 5th, so it wins.



It is one of those two though.

phil_b

fanfare for the common man

phil_b

it is very over played but sweet home Alabama has got to be up there

viz

ICBM said:

Redlester said:

The most recognisable and musically influential riff in die ganze geschichte der musik ist Beethoven’s fifth symphony. 

Yeah, but... Smoke On The Water contains a flat 5th, so it wins.



It is one of those two though.

It’s the same piece. Somewhere there’s actually a video of Beethoven talking about how his 5th symphony is just Smoke on the Water backwards. But all I can find is this at 0:26

https://youtu.be/kEAtD7-HWp0

Slash'N'burn

T-Rex - 20th Century Boy (it’s just an open E chord, but by fuck it’s effective)

Blur - Song 2

The Smiths - This Charming Man

Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town


 

Philly_Q

randella said:

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

I don't know how instantly recognisable it is, but to me that first 90 seconds of Hells Bells is the greatest intro of all time.

The way it builds and builds, before the full power is unleashed, is utterly brilliant.  It still gives me chills every time I hear it.

JerkMoans

Rocker said:

JerkMoans said:

Was listening to this in the car earlier, and thought to myself 'well there's a stirring intro to a song'

Alive and Amplified - The Mooney Suzuki

The intro is certainly striking but it falls way short of the mark as very few* ever heard it and thus won't know what song is about to be played.

* I listen to a lot of music and I never heard of a band called The Mooney Suzuki or any of their songs.

Well. You’ll always remember where you were, the first time you got turned on to the Mooney Suzuki.

Now. How about this bad boy: start at 0.35 in...

https://youtu.be/MYSFuWU7GQs

randella

Philly_Q said:

randella said:

viz said:

The 3 bells tolling at the beginning of Rachmaninov’s most famous choon

Pfft. "Hell's Bells" had four of them.

And a schoolboy playing the guitar. 

I don't know how instantly recognisable it is, but to me that first 90 seconds of Hells Bells is the greatest intro of all time.

The way it builds and builds, before the full power is unleashed, is utterly brilliant.  It still gives me chills every time I hear it.

@Philly_Q - it's not my bestest-favourite, I think the chop in Malcolm's pick hand on "If You Want Blood..." just edges it, but that's moot really. Hell's Bells is an absolute monster of an intro and I'm splitting hairs. 

There's really no arguing with AC/DC's skill at crafting a memorable intro hook. 

phil_b

viz said:

It’s the same piece. Somewhere there’s actually a video of Beethoven talking about how his 5th symphony is actually just Smoke on the Water backwards. But all I can find is this at 0:26

https://youtu.be/kEAtD7-HWp0

  Ritchie Blackmore the ultimate troll. I love his story of the strap button on his headstock. It was just put there to wind up people trying to copy him as they tried to work out what it was for

EricTheWeary

Slash'N'burn said:

T-Rex - 20th Century Boy (it’s just an open E chord, but by fuck it’s effective)

Blur - Song 2

The Smiths - This Charming Man

Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town


 

Oh 20th Century Boy, good call. 

phil_b

eye of the tiger

Philly_Q

randella said:

@Philly_Q - it's not my bestest-favourite, I think the chop in Malcolm's pick hand on "If You Want Blood..." just edges it, but that's moot really. Hell's Bells is an absolute monster of an intro and I'm splitting hairs. 

There's really no arguing with AC/DC's skill at crafting a memorable intro hook. 

@randella Oh god yes, there are so many of them.  It's such a shame they've completely lost that knack in recent years decades.

stratman3142

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/hchOYs_d_Bw

I suspect this song has quietly slipped from air play but I thought it was great at the time. 

My wife and I sat next to Rupert Hines at our friends' wedding reception late last year. He was a lovely and humble guy. But very frail with cancer. Seeing your post, I just Googled him and was gutted to see that he died in June this year.

His musical achievements as a producer were immense.